Straight Pants
Women's full-length straight-leg trousers without pockets, shaped by waist darts at the front and back, with a zip fly, a straight waistband with a shaped overlap end and five belt loops.
When To Wear
- In spring and summer, in silk or light trouser fabric, with blouses, shirts and jackets.
- For the office and for evening wear in heavy silk.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Straight legs from hip to hem, with pressed creases on the front and back.
Length: Full length.
Waist: Darts at the front and back waist, pressed towards the centre. Straight interfaced waistband, the shaped end on the right side, fastened with one button.
Closure: Zip fly with cut-on fly facings and a separate interfaced fly shield, topstitched on the right front.
Back: Two back halves with a centre back seam and waist darts; one belt loop above the centre back seam.
Finishing: Five belt loops, at the front and back darts and at the centre back; seams serged and pressed open; hems turned up and hand-stitched.
Level Of Difficulty
Beginner. Darts, a zip fly with a fly shield, a straight waistband and belt loops; no pockets and five pattern pieces.
Fabric Recommendations
Light trouser fabrics from natural or blended fibres, such as heavy silk.
Additional Supplies
- Fusible interfacing (waistband, fly shield)
- 1 zipper
- 1 button
Cutter's Must
- From main fabric:
- Front Half – 2 pieces
- Back Half – 2 pieces
- Waistband – 1 piece
- Button Catch (fly shield) – 1 piece
- Belt-Loop – 1 piece (strip, cut into 5 loops)
- From fusible interfacing: Waistband, Button Catch.
Sewing Instructions
- Fuse interfacing to the Waistband and Button Catch (heat-activated interfacing are pressed onto the wrong side of the fabric with a hot iron).
- Stitch the darts on the Front Half and Back Half pieces and press them towards the center.
- Stitch the side seams and inseams. Serge and press the seam allowances open.
- Stitch the center front seam from the zipper mark downwards and, without breaking the stitching, continue along the center back seam.
- Zipper closure: press the cut-on fly facings to the wrong side: on the right - along the front center line, on the left - 1 cm from the front center line (= allowance for the closure).
- Press the Button Catch in half lengthwise, wrong sides together, and serge the raw edges.
- Edgestitch the zipper under the folded edge of the left side, with the teeth close to the fold, placing the Button Catch underneath with its fold towards the center so that the serged edge covers the zipper tape.
- Pin the opening closed, matching the center front lines. Stitch the free zipper tape to the right-side fly facing only, without catching the Front Half.
- Topstitch the right front pant leg along the closure according to the markings, catching the facing and folding the Button Catch out of the way. Stop 1.5–2 cm before the center seam. Then fold the Button Catch back into place and continue stitching to the seam.
- On the Belt-Loop strip, press the allowances along the long edges to the wrong side, fold the strip in half lengthwise and press, stitch the long edges together and topstitch along the fold. Cut the strip into 5 equal parts.
- Baste the belt loops to the upper edge of the pants: at the front - at the darts, at the back - at the darts and above the center seam.
- Fold the waistband in half lengthwise, right sides together, stitch the ends, turn right side out and press.
- Place the waistband on the upper edge of the pants, right sides together, with the shaped end on the right side, and stitch. Turn the waistband up, turn under the open edge and stitch it in the ditch of the waistband seam.
- Turn the belt loops upwards, fold under and topstitch at the upper edge of the waistband.
- Press the hem allowance of the pant legs inwards, fold under the raw edges and hand stitch.
- Work a buttonhole on the right end of the waistband and sew a button on the left end.
